Posts By
Matt Muro

You may have seen the “100 Greatest Women in Music” on VH1 last week. If not, spoiler alert: VH1 crowned Her Madgesty greatest of all. Now, BWE.tv is tapping some of our favorite talking heads to present “The 8 Greatest Women in Pop,” a week-long video bracket countdown that allows you to decide the results. If you aren’t happy with our initial selection of women (No Whitney Houston! No Adele! No Olivia Newton-John!), let us know about it in the comments.

There was one unplanned “duet” at the taping of VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul (airing Monday, Dec. 19 at 9/8c) that had everybody talking last night: 50 Cent and Chaka Khan. The powerhouse duo, more than two decades apart in age, showed up on the red carpet entwined in each other’s arms. When questioned by VH1 News correspondent Janell Snowden, fiddy explained: “I’ve always been a fan of Chaka Khan and I reached out and asked her if I could attend with her tonight.”

“We met last week officially for the first time,” said Chaka. “But we’ve loved each other’s music and we’ve loved each other’s art form forever.” The sight of the two looking like lovebirds sparked plenty of chatter on the web, with some sites like the notoriously inaccurate MediaTakeOut claiming the two are full-on dating.

While we all know the adage “love knows no boundaries,” we’re wondering if their cuddling was a playful way to make some noise while announcing a joint project together. “We’re working together,” admitted 50 Cent to MTV News. “We’re working on a project, hit music.” It will be “big things,” added Chaka. We can’t wait.

When VH1 Diva performerJessie J stopped by to chat with our red carpet host La La Anthony about her jaw-dropping outfit, she explained: “I sat with Falguni and Shane Peacock and I explained to them that I need a dress that’s skin tight that makes me feel like a diva.” Mission accomplished, thrice! Her red carpet number, a sheer black dress with gold embroidery and crucifix imagery, was one of the most talked-about outfits of the night, possibly because it made only a feeble attempt to cover her bra and panties — although she sure kept her feet modest with that black curtain.

VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul airs Monday, Dec. 19 at 9PM EST, but you don’t have to wait a minute longer to ogle Jennifer Hudson — and ogle you will! Representing soul for Chicago, Jennifer showed up at the red carpet wearing sparkling thigh-high boots and a very short beige dress.

As Mary J. Blige gets set to perform on VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul(airing Mon., Dec. 19 at 9PM EST), we’ve been wondering why the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul is so universally loved. We’d guess it partially has to do with Mary J. practicing what she preaches in her hit “My Life.” The lyrics, in case you’ve forgotten:

When you’re feelin down You should never fake it Say what’s on your mind And you’ll find in time That all the negative energy It would all cease

Mary has always been unafraid to speak her mind, both in her music and to the press. She’s open about her personal struggles and pain, and this feels refreshing in an age when many celebs seem muzzled as part of image campaigns. In other words, Mary J. is always Mary J. She’s moved from a rough life in a Yonkers housing project to A-list mega-star who hangs out at Vanity Fair Oscar parties — all the while retaining impeccable street cred. We usually arrange our Top Hottest Looks photos from least to most hot. But with this feature we’ve arranged them in chronological order. You’ll notice that Mary J. has had a dramatic style metamorphosis over the years. As her fame has grown, it seems her style savvy and number of stylists has too.

It would be hard to overstate how much Apple co-founder Steve Jobs transformed our lives, from getting a mouse into our hands to introducing the touch screen, from how we listen to music to how we talk face-to-face on our mobile phones. In the end, Jobs definitely delivered on his “Think Different” advertising slogan. So it’s not surprising that celebs from every walk of life took to Twitter and Facebook like the rest of us to share their condolences upon hearing that he lost his battle to cancer at the age of 56. R.I.P. Steve.

Barack Obama
“Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. From all of us at #Obama2012, thank you for the work you make possible every day-including ours.”

Nicki Minaj
An innovator. Contributed so much to this generation & beyond. RIP Steve Jobs.

Bill Gates
“The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.”

La La Vasquez
RIP Steve Jobs…praying for your family..thank YOU for all YOU’VE done to change our world and our way of thinking..

Body Text: Lenny Kravitz stopped by VH1 today. What did we talk about, you ask? His upcoming album
“Black and White America”? Check! His role in The Hunger Games? Of course! His style and clothes. Indeed. And we couldn’t resist asking him the story behind that iPhone handset that everyone’s talking about. Why does Lenny Kravitz use this old school contraption? Answer to be revealed Tuesday.